Betsu no Kikai
by mikoamaya-hikari
Summary: Naruto was tired, so very tired. But Kyuubi wasn't ready to die or let Naruto die. With a sacrifice from Kyuubi, Naruto's back...in time that is. What will he do now? M  for a reason  Warnings: SasuNaru, yaoi, violence, language, lemons...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Really, if I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be sitting here writing this fanfic, would I?

Warnings: None

Rating: PG

~~~~~o~~~~~ Scene change, time break, etc…

"Talking"

_Thoughts_

_'Naruto speaking to Kyuubi mentally'_

_**Kyuubi**_

A/N: Wow. Sorry it took so long to upload this. I'm in the Navy, and I have to say, ship internet is absolutely horrible. Either way, here's the alternate prologue I promised you guys! Enjoy!

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

Prologue

Two young men faced off, one with hair the color of raven wings and onyx eyes, the other with hair made of sunshine and sapphire eyes.

"I remember the real reason my brother killed everyone," the raven said.

"So, now what Sasuke? You've decided to come back?" the blond asked hopefully, though he didn't really believe it. His blue eyes quickly scanned the clearing, noting the natural (and unnatural) bumps, dips, and roots.

"No. Now I've just added another person to the list of people to kill."

"Who?" the blond asked tiredly, already sure of the answer.

"You, Naruto," Sasuke replied as he disappeared and reappeared in front of Naruto, his sword slicing at Naruto's neck.

Naruto gave a bitter smile as he blocked Sasuke's sword.

"I always knew you'd feel that way if you remembered, no matter how close we used to be," Naruto said sadly, blocking a kick to the face.

"And just how close did you think we were?"

Naruto snorted as he dodged one of Sasuke's fireballs.

"When we were kids, we held hands and said we loved each other every night before bed."

Naruto saw Sasuke's cruel smirk just as his foot hit an exploding tag Sasuke had planted. The small explosion knocked the blond of balance for just an instant, but that was all Sasuke needed.

"I never loved you," Sasuke whispered in Naruto's ear as he drove his sword through his back, chidori running along it's length.

Naruto's eyes widened, his mouth opening in a silent scream as he fell to his knees.

Sasuke charged chidori up to the max, until Naruto was completely paralyzed, unable to breathe, unable to heal. A buzzing filled his ears and lights danced before his eyes, blocking his hearing and vision. When his senses finally returned, Sasuke had kicked him onto his side, leaving the sword in his back.

"There was never a moment when I meant those three words."

As the darkness enveloped him, Naruto saw Sasuke's Sharingan swirling and reforming, finally becoming the Mangekyou. As the pain faded away and numbness settled in, Naruto smiled.

The last thing he saw before falling completely into the darkness was Sasuke's confused face as his lips moved.

Naruto couldn't hear, but he thought Sasuke had asked him…why.

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

Translations:

Betsu no Kikai – Another Chance

A/N: So...What do you think? Better than the original? Let me know please! And...Well, I know I said I'd try to let the readers decide which prologue (and therefore storyline) I would use, but it's getting increasingly difficult to write anything for the original storyline. I may end up going with the alternate prologue and plot anyways. Just fair warning. But I'll do my best to continue the original if the readers absolutely hate the alternate... Either way, please review!

Edit: If you have no idea what the above author's note was talking about, don't worry about it. I started this story differently but it didn't make as much sense or flow as well as this beginning (hopefully) will.

Ja ne!

~MikoAmaya


	2. Chapter 1: Sentaku o Suru ni wa

Disclaimer: Yeah, if I owned Naruto, Sasuke would roast me. And I like living.

Thank you to yukino89, Melikalilly, and Neon-Panda for their reviews! They inspired me! LOL However, only ONE of them actually told me which Prologue they preferred! So, for Neon-Panda, here is the next chapter in the alternate story line! And this chapter is longer too! XD

Warnings: Implied homosexuality =D

Rating: PG  
_  
Thoughts  
__**Kyuubi  
**_~~~~~o~~~~~ Scene change, time break, etc…

Chapter 1: Sentaku o Suru ni wa

Giggles and laughter echoed through the darkness, waking a young man with golden hair.  
"The host is dead!" a hushed voice said.  
"Then Kyuubi is free!" another voice said excitedly.  
"Kyuubi does not wish to be free yet," a more serious voice said slowly.  
The laughter disappeared.  
As if the silence was his cue, the young man slowly opened his blue eyes, only to be met by more darkness.  
But what was darkness?  
_**The absence of light,**_ a voice seemed to whisper.  
After a moment, he realized he was floating.  
But that was wrong, wasn't it? Shouldn't there be a floor?  
But what was a floor? He wasn't quite sure.  
Before he could think about it anymore, a floor appeared under him so he was lying instead of floating.  
As soon as the floor touched his skin, he realized he was naked. Once again, as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he was confused. Like before, a robe materialized on him before he could think about it too deeply.  
Him? What was him?  
"You," the serious voice from before said.  
Ah. So he was the "him." But who was he?  
"Try to remember," the voice instructed gently.  
When he tried to recall, he cried out in pain, immediately shying away from the brief flash of memory.  
"Naruto," he gasped out, finally remembering how to speak. "I'm Naruto."  
"That's right. You're Naruto, the host of Kyuubi," the voice said.  
"Who is Kyuubi? And who are you?" Naruto asked slowly, struggling to a sitting position.  
A beautiful white-haired woman with eyes as black as a starless night appeared in front of him, a white fox tail twitching behind her.  
"Kyuubi is the one inside you. And I am Inari."  
Naruto stared at her for a moment, noticing the white fox ears that almost blended into her hair before looking around him.  
"Where am I? And where did all the voices go?" he asked.  
"You are nowhere and anywhere, and everywhere in between, a place for questions and regrets to be resolved. And the voices have hidden in nothingness," Inari replied.  
For some reason, this made perfect sense to Naruto. But he realized that wasn't the answer he really wanted.  
"_Why_ am I here?" he asked carefully.  
"To make a choice."  
_Well, that was very helpful.  
__**Don't be sarcastic, Kit. She answers the questions asked of her,**_ the whispering voice from before said.  
"Who was that?" Naruto asked, quickly looking around.  
"That was Kyuubi, speaking inside of you," Inari said.  
"Do you really have to answer any question asked of you?"  
"No, I only answer the questions I wish to. But I rarely answer an unasked question."  
Naruto took this as a hint to continue asking his questions.  
"Am I dead? Is that how I got here?" he asked, remembering the quick flash of memory from before.  
"Yes, you died. But dying is not enough to grant you an audience with me."  
"Then how did I get here?" Naruto asked, perplexed.  
"A nine-tailed fox has nine chances at life. Once they die, they can request an audience with me by sacrificing one of their chances, or "tails," as we call them. Figuratively speaking, of course. And if their spirit is true, I will grant their request and give them another chance," Inari explained.  
"But I'm not a fox, so how could I get an audience with you?"  
"_You_ are not a fox, but _Kyuubi_ is and she used her last two tails so that you both could have another chance."  
Naruto was floored by this new information. The one inside him, Kyuubi, had given _him_ one of her chances at life?  
_No, I have to concentrate. Think about this later.  
_"What choice am I here to make?" he continued questioning.  
"To try again or to move on."  
"Try again at what?"  
"At your life, though it is up to you whether you will continue with your original goal or another."  
"And where would I move on to?"  
"The afterlife."  
"But how can I choose if I can't remember anything?"  
"Search your heart and it will guide the way," she replied cryptically.  
Naruto sighed. All these obscure hints were causing a headache to form between his eyes.  
_Search my heart? Does she mean my feelings?  
__**Obviously, Kit,**_ Kyuubi drawled.  
Naruto ignored the voice and concentrated, trying to untangle his chaotic emotions.  
"There was something…important…that I had to do…But it feels like I failed," he said slowly. "I need to fix it, but it's like I'm torn in two, unable to decide if I should…"  
His voice faltered to a stop as the thought disappeared like a tear in the ocean.  
"If you should what?" Inari asked. Surprised murmurs sounded as the darkness rippled and curious eyes began appearing.  
"Inari-sama asked a question!" a musical voice whispered.  
"Something big must be coming!" another said breathlessly.  
Naruto ignored the whispers, focusing on the question.  
The pain from before threatened to well back up but he quickly squashed it, somehow knowing it wasn't time yet to face it.  
"I don't know," he said slowly. "It's like I'm standing at a fork in the path and I can't see the path that led me there. But it's important that I finish it. One way or the other, even if it's the last thing I do. It's the most important thing in the world," he finished, conviction lacing his voice.  
"In order to do this, you will have to regain your memories," Inari said gently. "And even then, you will have to endure even more pain to complete your journey."  
Naruto winced at the thought of remembering. But hey, all he'd ever known was pain, so what was a little more?  
Confusion furrowed his brow as this thought popped into his mind. He hated knowing these things, but not having the memories to go with them.  
"I still have to do it," he answered firmly, ignoring the fact he wasn't sure what "it" was.  
"Oh, I like him! He has the true spirit of a fox!" a voice said.  
"That's awfully brave of him," another voice said dreamily."If only he was interested in females…" yet another said, her disappointment evident.  
"Wh-what!" he sputtered.  
"It will all be clear once you remember," Inari said, her laughter as pure and clear as a bell. A hushed silence fell as everyone stopped to listen until the last echo faded. "But remember, this choice cannot be undone. You must be certain."  
"I'm sure," Naruto said, determination written on his face.  
"Then the choice has been made. You have chosen to finish the path that was cut short. May your journey be filled with happiness and success," Inari declared as magic filled the air.  
"Chotto matte kudasai, Obaa-san," a pleasant, yet empty-sounding voice called.  
A young woman greatly resembling Inari appeared by her side, bowing respectfully.  
"My child, how kind of you to grace us with your presence. As you can see, we are about to send him back," Inari said, slight disapproval in her voice as the magic dissipated.  
"Hai, Obaa-san. Please excuse my rudeness for interrupting. But I have Seen this boy's past and all his possible futures, and it is time for me to leave this Sanctuary and journey into life once more."  
Inari stared at the woman's bowed head curiously. "Rise, my child. I believe introductions are in order."  
As the girl rose, Naruto stared in awe. She was beautiful, yet it was a cold beauty, as if all the warmth and life had left her long ago. But her eyes, a cold, frozen blue, seemed to have gained new life as they met his.  
"Naruto, this is my granddaughter, Myobu. Myobu, as you know, this is Uzumaki Naruto, host to Kyuubi no Youkou."  
Myobu cupped Naruto's cheek, her eyes filling with a tenderness that confused Naruto.  
"So much pain and suffering…" she whispered. "How has your soul remained so pure?"  
"I don't know," Naruto said, pushing the words past the lump in his throat. Her gentle touch, so rare in his previous life, brought tears to his eyes. He fought them down, then continued. "I don't know, but I don't feel that pure."  
"No," she said thoughtfully, slowly withdrawing her hand. "Now, there is a stain upon it. It is small, so small when one considers how very much you suffered. But that stain could grow. You are so strong, so _pure_, but even the purest being can be corrupted if hurt enough. So, I shall accompany you."  
Before Naruto could question her, Myobu turned back to her grandmother. "I come before Inari-sama, offering a tail in exchange for a new life."  
"What you petition for is rare indeed. You ask not for a chance at your previous life, or a continuation from the moment of your death, but a completely new life," Inari said.  
"Hai, Inari-sama."  
"In order for a new body to be created, you must give more than just a tail."  
"Hai, Inari-sama. I offer my power of Sight for the duration of this new life. I will be Blind to others' pasts and no longer See their futures. Will this power suffice?"  
"This power is one of our greatest and not lightly given. In reward for such sacrifice and selflessness, any body you wish shall be created and your powers of self-healing and poison immunity shall be returned to you," Inari intoned.  
"The only body I wish for is the one I have now. I am deeply grateful for your boons and will do my utmost to bring no shame to the Kitsune," Myobu said, bowing deeply. Naruto quickly mimicked her, flustered.  
"Then we shall now begin again. The two candidates have chosen to journey back into life. May your journey be filled with happiness and success," Inari once again said, magic filling the air as a circle of fire surrounded Naruto and Myobu.  
As the fire flared up, blocking everything from sight, Naruto thought he heard Inari whisper something.  
It sounded like…  
"Good luck."

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~~o~~~~~~o~~~~~~

Translations:

Sentaku o Suru ni wa = To Make a Choice  
Kit = Baby fox  
Chotto matte kudasai = Please wait a moment.  
Obaa-san = Grandmother (respectful)  
Hai = Yes  
Kyuubi no Youkou = Crimson Kyuubi (I liked it better than Kitsune or Youko. It seems to fit better.)

A/N: I choose the names and looks for certain reasons. I first came across the name Myobu and it's meaning (celestial fox) in I'll Fight for You by Aikat3ryn3 and became curious about other names that could have fox in their meaning. Through research, I found a goddess named Inari who was often depicted as a woman riding astride a white fox, though later, people began portraying her as a shape-shifting fox. So, the fox with the most power in my story became Inari, who transforms into a white fox (thus the hair color). Which is why Myobu, who is descended from her, is also a white fox. All in all, I'm _not_ stealing Myobu from Aikat3ryn3 (the personality is completely different), so please don't flame me if you've read her story.  
And the reason Myobu switched from Obaa-san when she first appeared to Inari-sama later is because of the role Inari was playing. When Myobu first spoke, she was speaking to Inari as a grandchild. But when she was petitioning Inari, she used a formal title because Inari would be considered a superior in that situation instead of just a family member. Also, the whole thing about powers and such will be explained later in the story. Sorry if all that confused you!  
Ja ne!  
~MikoAmaya


	3. Chapter 2: Atarashii Kaishi

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto would have hot man smex and Sakura and Hinata would never have been created.

Warnings: None

Rating: PG

~~~~~o~~~~~ Scene change, time break, etc…

"Talking"

_Thoughts_

_**Kyuubi**_

Chapter 2: Atarashii Kaishi

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

Naruto woke up screaming.

Images poured into him, memories filled with blood and pain, throwing his mind into chaos. Confusion, pain, fear. Love and hatred. Too many complicated feelings to sort out.

He couldn't catch his breath, yet he couldn't stop screaming either. He was in agony as all the past and future hurts hit him all at once.

He couldn't do this. Not again. He wasn't strong enough. He could _feel_ his mind cracking.

Just when Naruto thought he couldn't take it anymore, a girl appeared.

"Myobu," he choked out as he finally stopped screaming. "Myobu, I…I can't…I just can't…! Too much…!"

"Shh…It is alright now. Just rest," Myobu said soothingly as she laid her hand on Naruto's forehead.

"No…" he whispered. "Sasuke…Need Sasuke…"

Before he could finish, his eyes slid shut as the darkness engulfed him once again.

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

Sasuke POV (Third Person Objective)

Sasuke didn't know what was going on.

He'd just told Naruto that he was one of the ones he wanted to fight the most and Naruto had smiled when suddenly, his whole body had jerked forward as if Naruto had been struck from behind. For a split second, their eyes had met.

Pure terror. Directed at him. Naruto's eyes were filled with it, as if he expected Sasuke to try and kill him or something. But Sasuke didn't have time to think about it. Before it had even registered in Sasuke's mind, Naruto's eyes had rolled into the back of his head and he'd crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

If only he'd stayed like that.

A couple of seconds later, before anyone could react to his collapse, Naruto's eyes flew back open and he _screamed_. No one moved. No one _could_ move.

Sasuke was likewise frozen in place, still unable to comprehend what was happening.

Naruto wasn't supposed to scream like that, like Ibiki was using one of his torture techniques on him. Naruto was supposed to grin like a dobe and say he wanted to fight Sasuke too!

Only a few moments had passed, yet it felt like an eternity. Just as Sasuke and Sakura moved to help their teammate, a woman appeared next to him. Sasuke wanted to push her aside. He needed to get to Naruto, needed to help him. But it seemed Naruto knew the woman.

_No, a girl,_ Sasuke's mind automatically corrected as he glimpsed her young face.

"Myobu," Naruto seemed to choke out. At least he'd stopped screaming. "Myobu, I…I can't…I just can't…! Too much…!"

"Shh…It is alright now. Just rest," the girl said. She put her hand on his forehead and his eyes immediately began to close.

"No…" he whispered. "Sasuke…Need Sasuke…"

_ME?_ _He needed ME? Why?_

Before he could ask him, Naruto's eyes slid shut.

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

Kakashi's POV (Third Person Objective)

Kakashi was worried. No one screamed like Naruto had for no reason. Something must have happened.

A white-haired girl materialized next to Naruto, causing most of the other Genin to move away from Team 7.

For a moment, Kakashi drew a complete blank before the information he wanted was just suddenly there. She was Myobu (_no last name_), a gifted shinobi who'd made the rank of Chuunin less than a month out of the Academy, which she'd graduated from after only two months of attending. About a year ago, she'd been found wandering the forest outside of the village with no memories and had been taken in by the Third.

But Kakashi already realized there was something wrong with this information. Something else was going on other than just Naruto having some sort of fit.

As Naruto's eyes closed, Kakashi leapt from the platform to Naruto's side.

"Do not," the girl said, freezing him in place as he reached for the blond.

"What did you do to me?" he asked, surprised he could still talk. The other instructors were beginning to react and move towards them. If he could, he'd rather this be resolved before they became involved.

"Do not worry, it is not permanent. No one should touch Naruto now. Anyone's touch but my own could awaken him. In his current condition, that would be…disastrous."

"He needs medical attention. As his sensei, I'll be the one to take him to the infirmary and—"

Before he could finish, Myobu cut him off.

"If you take the time to care for him, you will not be back in time to help the young Uchiha at the end of his match. I know Naruto always complained that you showed favoritism to Uchiha, but believe me when I say he would be deeply aggravated if you let his…_condition_ worsen because of him. While you watch over Uchiha, I shall calm Naruto so that he does not lose himself to…rage."

Kakashi heard the small hesitation and felt a chill run down his immobilized spine.

_She knows about the Kyuubi. But she's just a child…How?_

He saw Sasuke start at the sound of his name and open his mouth to say something. To stop the (most likely) rude encounter, Kakashi smiled and gave a small laugh.

"Oh my, for a child, you seem to know more than you should. Have you been a naughty little girl to find out that information?" Kakashi half-joked.

"No, it is something I have found out from Naruto himself. Perhaps one day, you will understand. Now, I shall take him to the infirmary. Do not worry. We will be back in time for Haruno's match," Myobu assured him.

And just as the other instructors reached them, she released Kakashi and gathered Naruto in her arms, disappearing in a swirl of fire, leaving Kakashi to wonder why she'd said Sakura's match instead of Naruto's match.

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

Naruto's eyes flew open as he inhaled to scream. Before he could, a soft hand covered his mouth.

Darting his eyes to the hand's owner, Naruto relaxed a bit when he saw Myobu.

"Everything is fine. It will be alright this time, Naruto."

He flinched as the words reminded him of what had happened. Or what hadn't happened. Or what might happen.

These thoughts whirled in his mind, mixing with the new torrent of memories, rubbing his mind and heart raw as he tried not to scream in pain.

Sasuke's electrified sword going through his chest. Sasuke's harsh words. Sasuke killing him, killing others, _killing_…!  
Naruto cut that thought off before it could bring back the hysterics, only to be ruthlessly plunged into other memories.

Gaara dying, Itachi dying. Kakashi. Iruka. Hinata…!

Again, he cut off his thoughts, letting memories from his childhood wash over him instead.

Loneliness. Beatings. Hatred. Pain. So much pain. And worse than the constant beatings—

"Naruto!" Myobu's voice broke through the memories sucking him down.

"Concentrate! I know it is hard. I know it hurts! But you have a battle to fight soon. You must put this away for now. Let it take over you later. Right now, put it out of your mind," Myobu said harshly.

"How…!" Naruto panted, his voice strangled.

"You know how. You have done this dozens of times. Before every battle, after every heartbreak, you learned how to shove it all inside for later. You must do this once again."

Naruto gave her a lost, broken look. "I can't…! It's too much, I can't!"

"You must!" she yelled. When Naruto flinched away from Myobu, her face softened. "I know it is a lot to ask of you, and I would not ask it if it was not completely necessary. But you _must_ concentrate now. We do not have much time before Haruno's match starts," she said in a gentler tone.

"Sakura's…match? What are you talking about?" Naruto asked, confused, latching onto the distraction desperately.

"Her preliminary match with Yamanaka-san. For the Chuunin exams," Myobu elaborated at Naruto's blank look.

"Preliminaries…What! But that means…!" Naruto said, panic rising as he began to understand.

"Yes. Orochimaru has given Sasuke-teme the curse mark already. You do not have much time to convince him to stay."

Naruto stared at Myobu in horror, barely noticing the tiny flash of amusement at her use of his nickname for Sasuke.

"Why?" was all he could choke out.

Myobu understood instantly.

"Would you have ever been able to truly trust Sasuke if you took the choice to stay away from him? If he did not decide for himself to choose you over gaining power for his revenge?" Myobu asked sadly, watching as Naruto struggled to accept this particular truth.

"I understand that it is hard to take all this in, Naruto, but you must concentrate. There are more important things we need to concentrate on," she said.

"What could be more important than this? This is the whole reason I came back!" Naruto asked.

"When the Kyuubi and you were sent back, your souls…" Myobu paused, searching for the right word. "…merged. The reason I did not let your sensei or others care for you is because of the changes your body is going through. We must find a way to hide it before you are seen."

Naruto stared at her blankly. "What are you talking about?"  
Myobu sighed and guided Naruto over to a small bathroom with a mirror.

"This is what I mean."

Naruto stared at his reflection in growing horror. Myobu was right. He couldn't let _anyone_ see him like this.

The whisker-like scars had become wider and darker and the lines of his face had become slightly more angular, almost…foxlike. His hair was no longer the sunshine blond of before. Instead, it was reddish, a very pretty strawberry blond. But most startling of all were his eyes. His eyes were no longer the shadowed but still happy blue eyes he remembered from his youth, but purplish and hard, like amethysts filled with sorrow.

Slowly, he touched the mirror, tracing the changes in the glass, flinching as he noticed his nails had grown and become sharper, like claws.

Myobu brushed Naruto's hair away from his ears gently, showing him the very slightly pointed shape of them now. As he rubbed the points, he noted they'd become slightly fuzzy as a fine layer of baby soft hair grew over them.

"What's going to happen to me?" Naruto whispered, transfixed by the sight in the mirror.

"Your senses will become enhanced. I suspect you may even grow a tail. Once the preliminaries are over, you will need to make a permanent henge with a seal, like Tsunade-san did. It would take too much energy and concentration to try and maintain a regular henge all the time. But we do not have the time now to do such a thing. You will have to make do with a regular henge until this round is over."

Naruto nodded, slowly absorbing her words.

"Sasuke's already got the cursed seal…How am I going to save him? How do I save everyone?" Naruto finally said, a single tear running down his cheek.

"I am so sorry Naruto. But I believe you can save the world." (1)

"I have to."

Naruto wiped the tear away, determination filling his eyes as his mission began.

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

Translations:

Atarashii Kaishi — New Beginning

Sensei — Teacher (for this usage)

(1) — Anyone who has seen the Avatar series might recognize this line from the episode openings.

A/N: I'd actually planned to make this longer, but this seemed like a good place to end it. And really, at the rate I'm writing, if I tried to make this chapter longer until there was another good place to end it, I probably wouldn't have updated for a few more weeks.

Sorry the updates are so slow! Working on a ship in the Navy is actually more time-consuming than I ever thought it would be.

I hope you liked this chapter! Please review!

Ja ne!

~MikoAmaya


	4. Chapter 3: Kongo

A/N: So, if you've seen the anime or watched the manga the next chapter or two may seem a bit boring because of how much they'll most likely resemble the original storyline. There will be some changes though, and I hope you like them!

Also, thanks to Ms. Lokita1, BeArOcKpRiNxEsS, kitoriko, and xxxwallflowerxxx for their wonderful reviews. As soon as I get a free moment that isn't taken up by work or writing this story, I shall do my best to answer your reviews!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, most of the girls would die horrible deaths and yaoi would dominate over hentai! Mwahahahahaha!

Warnings: None

Rating: PG

~~~~~o~~~~~ Scene change, time break, etc…

"Talking"

_Thoughts_

'_Naruto speaking to Kyuubi mentally'_

_**Kyuubi**_

Chapter 3: Kongo

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

"I, Haruno Sakura, will give—"

"No! Sakura!"

Ino directed Sakura's eyes, glancing up at a screaming blond.

Lee and Kakashi started, turning quickly. Naruto ignored them as he concentrated on Sakura.

"Don't give up! You're stronger than this! And one day, you'll be one of the strongest kunoichi and medic-nin in history! So stop chasing our backs! Show us! Show us all how strong you've become! Don't disgrace yourself by losing to this Sasuke-obsessed freak!" Naruto yelled.

"Baka. It's useless telling _me_ that. Sakura's too weak to defeat me, little less become as strong as you say—"

Ino froze as a chill went through her mind.

"What…is this?"

Naruto watched as Ino brought Sakura's hands up to clutch her head.

_Come on…Say it…Say her name._

"Sakura! This can't be…!"

And Naruto knew he'd succeeded. He knew how it would end now. And with this, Sakura would begin to walk a path to rival one of the great Sannin, just like Sasuke and him.

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

Naruto ruffled Sakura's hair, smiling tenderly at her and Ino's sleeping figures.

"Good job. You both fought well. I can't wait to see the splendid shinobi you two will become," he said softly.

Kakashi watched Naruto closely. In ways he couldn't understand, this new Naruto disturbed him. He seemed older…wiser. Now more than ever, the boy reminded Kakashi of his sensei.

And the girl from earlier…She'd had that older look in her eyes too.

_Who is she really and what does she have to do with Naruto…?_

As Sakura's eyes began to open, Naruto turned to watch the next match, giving Sakura and Ino some privacy to talk. As he turned, he caught Kakashi's eye. Its searching look made him look away quickly. He didn't want Kakashi to know. He didn't want anyone to know. It was too painful and it was better if they never knew this pain. It was better if only he ever knew this pain.

"Ganbatte, TenTen! Use your power of youth!" Lee yelled, backed up enthusiastically by Gai.

"Gomen Lee, but there's no way TenTen could beat Temari…" Naruto said under his breath as the match began.

After only one attack, the winner was clear to any with the perception to see it.

"How unsightly. Suna wins again…" Shikamaru complained.

"Mmm-hmm…" Naruto murmured, nodding his head.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at Naruto's strange response. If anything, he would've expected the blond to protest or ask him to explain, not agree with him.

_Perhaps the idiot's just trying to look smarter…But it doesn't seem like that. The way he's watching the match, how his eyes seem to take in every detail…It's like he really can see it. Man, mendokusai…_

Naruto watched as each of TenTen's attacks failed until, finally, all three moons of Temari's fan were revealed and she disappeared.

"It's over," he said as Temari reappeared, riding on her fan.

"Ninpou kamaitachi!" Temari attacked and it was all over.

"Lee."

"Huh? What, Naruto-kun?"  
"Catch," Naruto said simply, staring at TenTen's prone form on Temari's fan.

"Nani…?" Lee said in confusion, turning just in time to see Temari smirk and tense her body. "Oh no!"

And with that, he disappeared as TenTen's body flew through the air.

"And now he will fight with everything he has…" Naruto said.

"Don't lose to them, Naruto."

"Sakura. Daijobu-ka?" Naruto asked, quickly and efficiently assessing her body for any injuries with his eyes. As he concentrated on Sakura, he didn't notice Kakashi concentrating on his every move and word.

_**Kit, you need to be more careful.**_

'_Kyuubi! Where have you been?'_

_**Oh, I just thought I'd take a small vacation in Suna. Where do you think I've been? I'm trapped in your body, baka.**_

'_You know that's not what I meant. And don't call me a baka!'_

_**Whatever. Like I said, you need to be more careful. That one-eyed pervert is watching you too closely. You're not acting or even speaking like you used to at that age and you're talking about things you're not supposed to know yet! I know you're a better actor than this.**_

'_I'm so tired of acting like somebody I'm not! I can't keep it up anymore. Not like I used to. Don't worry, I won't act too differently. I just don't think…I can hide as much of me as before,' _Naruto told Kyuubi

_**I know Kit, I know. Just do your best. And pay attention. The crazy pinkette is talking to you.**_

'_She's not crazy!'_ Naruto mentally chided Kyuubi before turning his attention back to Sakura.

"Don't worry about me, worry about yourself!" she was saying.

Naruto smiled at Sakura's concern. This was the moment their relationship had really began to change. This was the moment she'd started becoming someone he loved and protected, his little sister.

"Don't worry, I won't lose," he said seriously, surprising Sakura.

"Well, you better not! If you lose here, you'll be a disgrace. You won't be able to face Sasuke-kun."

"I know. And thank you, Sakura-chan."

"Eh? What for?" she asked, taken aback.

"For believing in me," Naruto said, giving her a true smile.

_Naruto's never smiled like that__ before. It almost makes him look…handsome. But not as handsome as Sasuke-kun of course!"_

"I should be thanking you," Sakura said, flustered. "If I hadn't had your support…I might have lost to Ino easily."

"All I did was tell you the truth. You're the one who broke free. You finally showed us your strength. Now, the three of us can walk beside each other. You don't have to watch our backs anymore, Sakura-chan…" Naruto said gently.

Sakura could feel tears forming.

_How? How did he know what I've been thinking for so long? How does he know exactly what to say?_

"B-Baka! What makes you think I ever thought such a thing! I've never thought I was weaker than you guys, you…baka!" Sakura said, turning away and stomping over to the railing as she tried to stop the tears from falling.

"You're right…I was such a baka back then," Naruto whispered before moving up next to her to watch as Shikamaru was picked.

"Finally, a victory for Konoha!" Naruto said, cheering as he grinned down at the arena.

"What do you mean? Shikamaru's too lazy to fight seriously!" Sakura said.

"Yeah, but he's smart and he's too proud to lose to a girl weaker and less intelligent than him. Just watch, you'll see what I mean," Naruto stated, surprising everyone around him.

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

"Wow, Naruto was right!" Sakura exclaimed.

"My turn!" Naruto exclaimed as the board began shuffling through the names.

Sakura laughed. Naruto was so eager to fight, just like always. "You might be wrong, you know."

"No. I know I'm right! It's definitely my turn!"

And with that, the board froze.

Naruto Uzumaki

Vs.

Kiba Inuzuka

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

Translations:

Kongo — From Now On

Baka — Idiot

Shinobi — Ninja

Sensei — Teacher

Ganbatte — Do your best

Gomen — Sorry (more informal than gomennasai)

Suna — Sand (I really hope you already knew this though)

Mendokusai — Troublesome (Shikamaru says this about everything, doesn't he? I think it's kinda cute, in a lazy way. ^_^)

Ninpou Kamaitachi — Whirlwind Attack

Nani? — What?

A/N: So…What do you think? Different enough to be a little interesting? I definitely updated a lot quicker than usual! I know it's short though, but I want to take my time with the fight between Kiba and Naruto. Honestly, I'm not very confident about writing a fight scene. I might ended up trying to find someone else to help me out with it. Either way, I'll try to update as soon as I can! Please review!

Ja ne!

~MikoAmaya


	5. AN

A/N: So, I know everyone hates when an author posts an author's note as a chapter and I'm very, very sorry to do this to you guys, but I really thought I should tell you a few things before the next chapter comes out.

First, I hate action scenes. Or maybe they hate me. Well, we seem to be in a hate-hate relationship, so I'm definitely going to try not to have very many, or more likely, I'll find someone else to write them. Of course, I've already found it's a little harder to find someone willing to write an action scene for you than I realized. If anyone of you guys know someone who might be willing to help me out with this, I'd be eternally grateful. Plus, you'd most likely get updates quicker too. But until something like this happens, don't expect more action scenes than are absolutely necessary.

Second, if you're reading this story, a Naruto fanfiction, I am just going to assume you've either read the series or watched the anime and therefore are well-informed enough for me to NOT have to write out everything, such as each match of the prelims. I'll write parts I find important to my story, but yeah, I'm going to skip the redundant writing of parts you should already know. Which means if you don't actually know much about the series because you happened to stumble on a Naruto fanfic and liked it, then I'm very sorry, but I recommend watching or reading the series if you want to fully enjoy my fic. Because I'm getting bored writing things I think should be common knowledge in the Naruto fan community.

Last, if you object to songs being in a fic, stop reading this now, or continue reading but don't flame. This isn't a songfic, but it will include songs, which I will give proper credit for. I just thought I should give fair warning to my readers about this.

Oh, and don't think I haven't been writing for this fic either. I have been. I actually have everything for the next two chapters written out except the action scenes. Which is what started this whole note to begin with. Those pesky action scenes are really causing a hold up in this story. Even if I just skip them for now and continue writing, I can't update until they're finished. I'm trying very hard to write them, but as I already said, we hate each other and I'm just not very good at them. If I can't find someone to write them soon, I'll bite the bullet and try again, but don't expect something amazing. Hopefully, the rest of the chapter will be able to make up for the poor action scenes if it comes to that.

Well, that's all I have to say. Again, sorry for this. Wish I could have updated with a chapter instead.

Ja ne!

~MikoAmaya


	6. Chapter 4: Chishiki no Chikara

Warnings: None

Rating: PG

~~~~~o~~~~~ Scene change, time break, etc…

"Talking"

_Thoughts_

'_Naruto speaking to Kyuubi mentally'_

_**Kyuubi**_

Chapter 4: Chishiki no Chikara

Naruto Uzumaki

Vs.

Kiba Inuzuka

"Finally, it's my turn!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Lucky! We can beat him for sure, Akamaru!" Kiba said, receiving a bark of affirmation from the puppy tucked in his jacket.

Naruto smiled, memories of this fight washing over him. True, he'd been trying to hide his strength before, but he'd still been so much weaker than he was now. It really had been a challenge to beat Kiba back then. But it would be different this time.

"Kakashi-sensei! I was wondering…" Naruto said.

"Hmm? What is it, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, curious as Naruto made him bend closer to him.

"Do you have any stink bombs?" Naruto whispered in Kakashi's ear.

_Stink bombs? What's he up to?_ Kakashi thought. If he didn't know better, it seemed like Naruto was actually trying to come up with a strategy. Which only made him more suspicious. The Naruto who started these exams would have just rushed in without any plan. What was going on?

"Yes, I have a few. Do you want them?" he asked as he took them out of his weapons pouch.

"Hai! Arigatou, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said as he moved his body to block the view of Kakashi handing him the bombs. A moment later, he realized he shouldn't have done that when Kakashi was already suspicious of him, but it was too late.

"Knock'em dead, Naruto," Sakura said, distracting Naruto.

"Of course! Just watch me, Sakura-chan! I'll win with no problem at all!" Naruto said, plastering on the grin he used as a mask.

Sakura started as she realized she didn't like this smile much. She liked the small smile from before. That one had seemed more…genuine.

_What am I thinking? There's nothing wrong with his smile. It's the same smile as always. I must still be a little tired from my match…_Sakura thought with a small shake of her head.

Unexpectedly, Naruto patted the top of her head.

"I won't fail. It's a promise…"

_Of a lifetime._

Sakura stared at Naruto's serious eyes. His words seemed to hold some special meaning that she wished she could understand. She shivered as she remembered the last time such seriousness and determination filled his eyes. It had been when he'd saved them from Orochimaru. And with that memory fresh in her mind, she couldn't argue with his words.

"I know," she whispered as he disappeared over the railing.

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

"You know Kiba, the same jutsu won't work on me twice," Naruto said with a grin. He'd let Kiba mouth off and get the first few hits in, but he'd needed the time to get used to his weaker body. His shortened reach, his slower speed, his larger chakra reserves from the merge, and the loss of nearly 9 years of muscle memory was slightly disconcerting. But now…

Now he was ready to strike back.

_It's time to change how the story goes._

_**Just be careful, Kit. Nothing too flashy.**_

Naruto grinned, surprising Kiba and their audience.

"Define flashy."

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

That grin surprised and disturbed Kiba. It spoke of a self-confidence that should've already been beaten out of the little squirt.

Define flashy? What was that supposed to mean?

Naruto had to be bluffing.

Aggravated that _Naruto_, of all people, had made him hesitate, Kiba snarled, launching himself at Naruto, Akamaru following closely behind.

Naruto leapt away, just as Kiba anticipated. The grace and fluidity of the move almost distracted him, but he threw the smoke bombs he'd hidden in his hands at the last second, engulfing Naruto in smoke just as he landed.

Kiba and Akamaru closed in, using their noses to locate and attack Naruto. Infuriatingly, he was somehow able to dodge or block all their hits.

Gnashing his teeth in frustration, Kiba backed off.

"Let's see you block this! Akamaru, let's go!" he called. "Gatsuuga!"

"Didn't I say the same jutsu won't work on me twice?" Naruto said from inside the smoke as Kiba made his hand signs.

"Grrr...! Shuddup, you loser!" Kiba yelled as he and Akamaru launched themselves at Naruto.

_Hmph! The idiot's not even defending himself! _Kiba thought as they closed in on Naruto's still form.

"This is over!" Kiba shouted.

A huge wave of chakra blasted the two attackers, knocking them back.

"You're right. This _is_ over," Naruto said calmly, stepping forward.

Kiba tensed, his muscles bunching in preparation. However, before he could do anything, Naruto disappeared.

"Wha...?" Kiba said, looking around for the blond.

He whirled around when a yip and poof of smoke came from behind him.

"Akamaru!" he cried out when he saw his beloved partner on the ground next to Naruto.

"Now, it's one-on-one. Don't worry, I didn't hurt him. He's just unconscious," Naruto said.

"Why you...!" Kiba stopped himself.

_I can't let him get to me. If I do, he'll set the pace. I've gotta control myself. Control...Control..._

Kiba bit his hand, letting the pain and taste of blood wash through him, calming himself.

_Alright...I prefer partnering with Akamaru for Gatsuuga, but I can use a clone too..._

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

_I won't let him get away with hurting Akamaru. I'm gonna win this!_

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

Naruto dispelled another clone, the third one since he'd incapacitated Akamaru.

_I wonder when Kiba's going to notice..._

_**The dense dog? Probably never.**_

_Aww, you should give him more credit than that. I bet he's already catching on._

Kyuubi just snorted as Naruto took out a fourth clone.

"Kuso! Why aren't you attacking me!" Kiba yelled, frustrated.

"The clones are easier to destroy," Naruto said with a shrug.

Naruto almost smiled as Kiba stared at him. He could almost hear the dog boy's thoughts.

"How do I know? How could I possibly guess which one is the clone correctly every time?" Naruto said, startling Kiba as he voiced his thoughts.

"It's simple, really. I actually learned it from _you_," Naruto said, holding back his grin at Kiba's bewildered expression. "I can smell them."

"That's impossible! Clones smell the same as the original. They're _clones_!"

"Actually, they don't. The difference is pretty faint, but it's there. When you make a clone, it has the same smell as you, ne? But the real you will have other residual smells clinging to you. You smell of Hinata and Shino, along with the smell from the Forest of Death. But your clone smells only like your normal scent," Naruto explained.

"But how can you even smell me to begin with! I can do it because my whole family is born with an enhanced sense of smell! Why can you do it even though you're normal!" Kiba ranted, completely frustrated.

Naruto froze as Kiba's words hit him.

_**Kit, calm down. Don't do anything rash.**_

_Shut up._

_**Kit!**_

_Shut the hell up!_

"...Normal?"

Kiba's eyes widened at the dark tone of Naruto's voice. It sent a shiver down his spine.

"Since when am I _normal_? I've _never _been normal! But of course you don't understand that. Not yet."

Before Kiba could respond, Naruto disappeared again.

"You want to know about my family? About how I can distinguish scents even better than you?" Naruto asked from right behind Kiba, disappearing as he spun around.

"My family were seal masters and could control time and space. And I can smell the difference..." Naruto said in Kiba's ear, pausing as he disappeared once more.

"...Because I have the nose of a fox."

And with that, he attacked.

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

The whole arena was filled with silence.

"Alright! You did it, Naruto!" Sakura finally cheered.

"No one expected Naruto to win," Chouji commented, Ino nodding in agreement.

"Che…It's not that unexpected," Shikamaru muttered.

"What? How could anyone have guessed THAT would happen? I mean, no one thought _Naruto_ would be smart enough to use _stink bombs_ on Kiba!" Ino asked.

"Mendokuse…If you don't understand it, I'm not gonna try to explain it."

Naruto made his way up the stairs with a slight limp. Even with his knowledge, his current body was too weak and slow for most of his future jutsu. Using such high speeds really took a toll on him.

_I'm definitely going to have to train my body and chakra control._

He slowed as he noticed Hinata at the railing, obviously dithering over whether or not to give him a medical ointment.

_**It's the Hyuuga girl. You know, it might be kinder of you if you put an end to her crush earlier than you did last time.**_

_I never ended her crush. She just realized that we could never be together and moved on on her own. Still, maybe you're right. The only reason she held onto hope for so long last time was because of how dense I was. I think…I think I'll try to let her down gently a lot sooner this time._

Decision made, Naruto made his way towards her.

_**Surely not NOW, Kit? She's about to fight.**_

_Of course not now. I just want to go encourage her to do her best._

"N-N-N-Naruto-to-kun…!" Hinata's timid voice broke through his thoughts, her face flushed.

"Huh? Oh, hey Hinata! What is it?" he asked happily.

"P-Please use th-this on your w-w-wounds…!" she replied shyly, holding out a container of ointment.

"Thanks! I heard your ointments are great!"

Hinata blushed an even deeper red at his praise. She mumbled out a "Thank you" and quickly walked toward the stairs to give Kiba some ointment.

"Oi, Hinata!" Naruto called out behind her, catching her attention.

"Y-Y-Yes?" she said, taken aback by the sudden serious look on his face.

"…Don't give up. You're strong, stronger than you realize. And you'll only get stronger as you grow. So, never give up."

With that, Naruto smiled and went back over to Sakura, ignoring the surprised looks on Kurenai's face or the nearly hyperventilating Hinata.

_Now, let the next match begin!_

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

"Lee," Naruto called as Lee jumped on the railing, drawing the small group's attention.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?"  
"Just remember, everything has a price. Especially if it's forbidden."

Lee and Gai's eyes widened, as Neji's narrowed. Sakura just looked confused. Kakashi looked between Naruto and the two surprised males, trying to understand the meaning behind Naruto's words.

_How…?_ Brushing the thought away, Lee smiled.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. I'm ready to pay the price to prove my nindo, my ninja way."

And with that, Lee joined Gaara in the arena.

"If only you knew…" Naruto murmured. In the past future, he'd truly come to like Lee. He'd been one of the few who had truly accepted Naruto for himself. Of course, he'd also been completely crazy, even more so than Gai in some ways. But even though Naruto knew Lee would heal, he wished he could spare the boy from the mental anguish this match would cost him in the future. Even with the power his knowledge gave him, he wasn't sure if he could, or _should_ stop the events of Lee's match.

_**Maybe you can, Kit…**_

'_Of course I can't! If anyone interferes, he'll lose automatically,'_ Naruto snapped back.

_**What does that matter if he's going to lose anyways?**_

'_Because I want Gaara to change too!' _Naruto exploded, his iron control cracking_._

Before he could stop it, Naruto fell back against the wall as images poured into his mind. Gaara mercilessly crushing Lee's arm and leg, Gaara pinning Sakura to the tree with his sand, Gaara in Shukaku form, Gaara screaming in pain from his memories, the first smile Gaara had given him as a friend, Gaara dead, Gaara, Gaara, GAARA-!

_**KIT! **_Kyuubi roared in his mind, finally wrenching him from his memories.

_**Breathe, kit, breathe! It's going to be okay. Even if you keep the raccoon brat from completely crushing that idiot's leg and arm, Gaara will still try to kill him and therefore, the crazy sensei will still come to his rescue and confuse Gaara and set him on the path of sanity.**_

'_I-I don't know…It might not work. It could change everything,' _Naruto replied shakily, pushing the memories back into the 'room' he'd made for them in his mind and locking the door. He blinked in confusion as he saw the door though. He'd imagined a solid metal door to suppress the memories, yet in its place, there was a delicate glass door. Perhaps it represented the fragility of his control? Either way, Naruto knew it wouldn't hold forever. He could already see cracks forming in the glass.

_**Well, you're going to have to decide what you want to do. The whole reason we came back was to change things, but I suppose if we change too much, we might not be able to control the effect farther into the future. Now, pay attention. Your little panic attack caught others' attention.**_

Naruto shook his head as he focused on the outside world, only for it to spin uncontrollably.

"—to! Naruto! What's wrong? Are you okay? Is it another fit?" Sakura was demanding, shaking the daylights out of him.

S-Sakura-ch-chan!"

"Ne, ne, Sakura, I think you're killing him," Kakashi's voice cut in.

Sakura abruptly let go of Naruto, causing his head to hit against the wall as he lost the support of her grip. Some time during his fit, he'd obviously slid down the wall into a sitting position. Or perhaps Sakura had caused it with her shaking…

"Itai…! Sakura, that hurt! Were you trying to kill me! I'm you're teammate! If you wanted to kill a teammate, you should have gone for Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto complained loudly.

Sakura and Kakashi just blinked at the blond, bemused by this sudden return to loudmouth, illogical idiocy.

"You collapsed again…I mean, you didn't scream like last time, but you were kind of…whimpering and clutching your head. I didn't know what to do…I was worried about you, you baka!" Sakura yelled as her temper quickly flared up, punching Naruto on top of the head.

"ITAIIIIII!" Naruto practically howled as Sakura stormed away. As soon as she was far enough away, Naruto let out a sigh of relief.

And confirmed Kakashi's suspicion that the boy was putting on an act. Perhaps he'd always been acting and none of them knew the real Naruto. In a strange, twisted way, it made sense too. After all, how could anyone who'd gone through all Naruto had truly be as happy and innocent as he'd seemed to be? But the change seemed too large and sudden…Something must have happened to bring it on and Kakashi was determined to find out what.

_Or maybe who…_Kakashi idly thought as Myobu's image flashed through his mind.

As Naruto rushed back to the rail, Kakashi turned his attention back to the match.

However, without even thinking about it, Kakashi's eye often drifted back to the puzzling blond, looking for more signs of his act.

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

Even knowing what was going to happen couldn't make watching this match less painful. The way Lee put everything he had into proving his belief, the dead look in Gaara's eyes, or, even worse, the bloodlust…They all broke Naruto's heart. And the crucial moment was approaching fast. He still hadn't decided what he should do.

In the end, there really wasn't a choice. Just like what Sasuke had said after rescuing him from Haku's needles, Naruto's body just moved on its own.

As Gaara's fist closed to finish the Sand Burial, a nearly inaudible scream of denial escaped Naruto as his chakra surged. Without even thinking, his hands formed seals with such speed, no one could see it if they didn't know to look.

Fire covered Lee's sand-encased limbs just as he began screaming in pain, flash heating the sand into brittle glass. But before the fire could even finish dying down, Gaara sent another wave of deadly sand at Lee.

Naruto forced himself to remain still. He forced himself to watch the glass surrounding Lee's limbs shatter and cover them in thin cuts as he futilely tried to escape the sand. Above all, he forced himself to watch the potential death of his friend. If his saving Lee's leg and arm surprised Gai so much he didn't save his student in time, it would be Naruto's fault. And if that happened, he wasn't going to be a coward and look away.

Naruto let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when Gai materialized at the last second, quelling the sand wave.

Lee was safe. He was going to be okay. Hopefully, he'd intervened in time for Lee to recover without the mental trauma of believing he'd been crippled for life. And just as importantly, Gai had unknowingly set Gaara on the path of redemption.

As soon as Gaara moved away, Naruto jumped the railing, ignoring everyone else and the commotion below as he rushed to Lee's side. He could feel the tears trying to escape, but he wouldn't give in to them. Not yet.

He watched as the med-nin put him on a stretcher, as shock and sorrow filled the nin's eyes as he examined the battered boy's injuries.

_No._

The medic left the other two to care for Lee as he approached Gai, the pain in his eyes clear.

_No. _

"The damage to his left side is extensive. It's difficult to say this, but I'm sorry. With the damage this severe, there's just a large possibility your student cannot continue leading the life of a shinobi."

_NO!_

Naruto watched, frozen, as the medic left and the words finally registered in Gai's mind, as the devastation and pain filled his eyes.

He'd failed. Even after he risked revealing himself, he'd failed to protect Lee.

Naruto finally regained his senses as the medics began carrying Lee out of the arena.

"Don't! Don't you dare tell him that! If you tell Fuzzy Brows he can't be a shinobi, it'll destroy him! He'll heal! He's going to be fine, so don't tell him!" Naruto screamed at their backs, the tears from earlier finally falling. Anger filled him as he realized they were ignoring him. He had to make sure they understood, that they wouldn't put Lee through that anguish.

He took a step forward, intending to follow them and make them acknowledge what he was saying, but found himself restrained as Kakashi wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Naruto, you can't."

"But it'll destroy him! Being a shinobi is everything to him! And Neji, Sasuke! He wanted to fight them so much!"

"That might have been what caused this tragedy. The decision to use even forbidden jutsu to win at all costs…This is the result," Kakashi said. "Sasuke, Neji-kun…and you too, Naruto. To fulfill the silent promise you all made to each other…! He put his life at risk…so that he could reach that final stage to fight all of you…Don't forget that."

_But you already knew this, didn't you, Naruto? This is what you tried to warn Lee about. But how? And since when have you learned fire jutsu?_

"But you're wrong! He's gonna be fine!" Naruto said, interrupting Kakashi's memories of his warning.  
"Naruto…You need to understand—" Kakashi began, the pity in his voice only angering Naruto.

"No, _you_ need to understand! He's gonna heal! Tsunade-baa-chan is gonna heal him, good as new! So—!"

_**Naruto!**_

Kyuubi's sharp reprisal drew Naruto up short. As his words hit him, his eyes widened and he bit his lip hard, drawing blood.

_ShitshitshitshitSHIT!_

"Tsunade? Naruto, how do you know about—"

"Excuse me, but we need to start the next match. Could you please go to the upper level?"

Naruto sighed in relief as the examiner interrupted Kakashi. "Ah, gomen! We'll go right now!" he said as he slipped out of Kakashi's arms before he could stop him.

Kakashi let him go, slightly surprised at how easily Naruto had escaped his hold. Besides, Gai was still standing forlornly in the middle of the arena.

_Perhaps I can do something to cheer him up._

As he glimpsed the expression in Gai's eyes, he amended that thought.

_Perhaps I can do something to relight the fire in his eyes, if nothing else…_Kakashi though as he made his way over to his long-time rival.

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

Blondie was staring at her again.

Temari first noticed him staring right after the pinkette's match with the mind-controlling chick. She'd been feeling disgusted by such a weak display of kunoichi battle when the back of her nape had tingled with awareness. The moment she'd found her observer, she'd almost wished she'd never noticed.

His eyes…He'd slid them away, playing it off as if he'd been glancing around the room or something, but not before she'd gotten a glimpse of those sad blue eyes.

He looked at her like a drowning man looks at the ship he fell from. As if she was something important he'd lost and never thought to have back.

It made her arms ache with the need to hug him.

Which seriously creeped her out. She didn't even _know_ this guy, for Kami's sake!

And if the way he watched her was disturbing, it was nothing compared to how he looked at Gaara.

Such gentleness and understanding in any gaze directed at Gaara would've made her question the sanity of that person. Couple that with the longing and hope she could clearly see in his gaze…Well, she seriously thought someone needed to give the kid a psych eval.

_Come to think of it, wasn't he the one who'd collapsed in that fit of screaming right before the prelims?_

Definitely creepy.

Since the first time she'd caught him, she'd felt his eyes on her off and on throughout the rest of the matches. And now, she really wished the stupid spinning meatball of a ninja would hurry up and win or lose soon because she couldn't take his stare much longer.

What felt like an eternity later, the Sound-nin was finally declared victorious. She almost felt liking cheering aloud when she felt his eyes move away from her.

Compound that with the relief of all three of them making it through these stupid prelims without Gaara going out of control and anticipation for the next part of the plan, you had a heady mix of emotions making her feel weak at her knees.

So, for now, she decided to concentrate on the most positive thing.

The prelims were _finally _over!

~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~o~~~~~

Translations:

Chishiki no Chikara – The Power of Knowledge

Sensei – Teacher (in this context)

Arigatou – Thank you

Gatsuuga – Piercing Fang

Kage Bunshin – Shadow Clone

Ne? – Right?

Mendokuse – Troublesome

Itai – Ouch

Baa-chan – Old lady, grandmother

A/N: *slowly peeks out from around a corner* Hi guys…Sorry this took so long, but—EEP!

*ducks for cover as readers throw apples at her* Hey! I said it would take awhile! I'm just no good with action scenes! And for some reason, the conversation between Kakashi and Naruto was hard to write too! It seems I have a lot of trouble with Kakashi. And I was afraid it was to melodramatic too...

*cries in her emo corner*

*wipes away tears* Well, now that we've gotten that out of our systems…What did you think? Surprisingly, I had a LOT more trouble with Hinata's match than with Lee's. Maybe because I didn't actually want to really change anything but also didn't just want to skip over it either…Whereas I wanted to make some major changes to Lee's match (and the aftermath). I finally just decided to change what happened before and skip over the match itself.

*giggles* When I was writing from Temari's POV, I was trying to imagine how I'd feel if someone was staring at me like that. And truthfully, I really would want to hug the person and make them feel better, even if they were a stranger. Which leads to being creeped out about wanting to hug a stranger. LOL Plus, I really wanted to end this chapter with a different perspective (among other yet-to-be-known reasons). And I might as well warn y'all now, there are going to be many perspectives in this story, though mainly Naruto and Sasuke, of course.

*shuffles feet shyly* So…Review please? I always feel all inspired after reading an encouraging review. Or any review, for that matter.

Gonna go finish working on the next chapter! (Yeah, I ended up killing Kiba and saying "Since you're dead, I don't have to write about you and can just move on the next chapter! BWAHAHAHAHA!" and proceeded to write the beginning of the next chapter. But of course, I knew I couldn't really kill him, so when I actually dreamed up the fight scene I wanted, I did my best to put it in words. Still, it looked much cooler in my dreams than in the mental images my words bring to my mind…)

Ja ne!

~MikoAmaya


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